Crow not crow

A girl and her father, both carrying binoculars, take an early walk in the fields near their home and search for birds. Though many fly away, a big crow sits on a nearby branch, giving them time to observe its wings, legs, and beak. That all-black crow becomes the baseline of the girl's first experience with identifying birds. For the rest of the morning, she looks closely at every bird, and though she might not know what it is, she can decide whether it belongs in the Crow or Not Crow category. She returns home planning to learn another bird soon. Looking closely at animals is a useful tool in classification as well as identification, and the authors present it in a child-friendly way. The quiet text flows well, and Dulemba's shaded-pencil-and-watercolor illustrations capture the birds beautifully, while reflecting the characters' enjoyment of the natural world. Illustrated with photos, an appended section offers four pages of information on the American crow and other common birds. This colorful picture book offers a good starting place for young birders.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2018 Booklist

A father and daughter go out birding. At first she feels intimidated: Her brothers all go birding with their father, and they can easily tell birds apart. To the girl, however, they all look similar: "wings, beak, and legs." Supplied with a pair of binoculars, she starts to find it easier to notice their characteristics. First to be spotted is the crow, "as black as a night without any moon or stars." Once she has identified and "owned" the crow, she can see a red-winged blackbird and know that it is not a crow. She becomes more attuned to the shape, size, and markings of different birds by this method of "Crow Not Crow." According to the jacket flap, co-author Stemple claims to have originated this unusual method of bird identification "in order to teach his city-bred wife to bird." While it is clear that the method can inspire confidence in those who have no background in birding, it might be frustrating for readers not to know the names of other well-known birds featured in the illustrations until the end of the book. The birds are accurately rendered in Dulemba's soft, colored-pencil illustrations, which also depict the birding pair as Asian. Descriptions and photos of all the birds illustrated are included in two spreads at the end, with QR codes for listening to their songs.A solid choice for introducing the hobby to younger readers. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

"A flock of black birds settled into a field beyond the stream.I put my binoculars up.Their feathers were dotted with white, like stars in the night sky. "Crow?"I didn't take my binoculars off of them." Excerpted from Crow Not Crow by Jane Yolen, Adam Stemple All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.